When to start "training"?

[Rob]

What's everybody's thoughts on this?

Of course it depends on what our aims are; when we will race seriously, what we've been doing and what we mean by "training"? So I'll suggest some assumptions:

You want to start racing in March/April (why not as there are some good races then?)
You hung up your race wheels after the hill climb and have been just riding once a week since with maybe a swim or something in addition
By "training" we mean putting your body under some sort of structured, planned riding stress; more than just a "bike ride" or cafe run

For what its worth, my view is - now! But to start gently as the load needs to increase all the way to the Spring and you need somewhere to go. If you leave it till the New Year which is common you'll find Xmas excesses take a far greater toll on your body.

What do you all think?

[PhilBixby]

Well.. ..I followed Iain's recommendation (and lots of references on training sites) and bought Joe Friel's The Cyclist's Training Bible as a way of (hopefully) putting some structure into my training - otherwise I just go out and ride with little specific purpose and don't have the discipline to really hurt myself. TCTB works on the basis of deciding on target races (or groups of races) and then working through a period of twenty or so weeks leading up to the first (and a shorter period up to a second or subsequent peak period).

So in my case, although I'll be racing from the start of the season, the first ones I'm aiming at being any cop for are in May. That means starting the first phases (very much about endurance - gentle long-ish rides and a few speed exercises) around now, and working up first through a period of more extensive training (again still mainly endurance but a bit sterner stuff) and then more intensive training (intervals, threshold work, hills etc) leading up to the races in May. Earlier races or TT's are seen as training.

We'll see if it works - I'm trying to lure my daughter into a bigger bet about me getting up to 3rd cat this year - but it's a good book for someone in need of structure and who needs to be forced to do x number of a specific interval on that day. For example, me.